Train everywhere
Where do I like to train?
Well, pretty much anywhere.
Dogs need to generalise behaviours outside of their home or a training venue. They also need to learn to work around various distractions too.
It’s important to pick locations to suit your dog’s abilities, work on lead and use your dogs favourite reward. In time you can gradually start building in more distraction.
Think goose with Rudy and Rocco.
Just a little insight into my brain 🧠 (sound on)!
Rudy, Rocco and I enjoying the sporadic weather on this mornings walk.
Freedom
There are loads of positives for why you should be training your dog.
For me the main reason is the freedom it gives them! It isn’t about suppressing the dog but allowing them to have more opportunities.
If I know my dogs are engaged with me, have good recall and respond to simple cues around distractions then we can enjoy stress free adventures together. ❤️
Tonight’s “yellow dog” group walk, although little Morgan and Rudy were very much missed from tonight’s get together. 💛
All the dogs (and humans!) are getting so much more relaxed. It’s lovely to see the dogs coexisting.
Due to interest from November I am opening up a second yellow group for those with dogs that would love to join classes but wouldn’t suit a normal set up. Instead the structure ensures each dog is given space in order to feel more comfortable. Unfortunately I can’t remember who expressed interest so please drop me a message and I can get you signed up.
Please note the Yellow Dog membership is to provide extra enrichment for sensitive dogs and not to substitute behavioural sessions for reactivity. Ideally this is for dogs I have previously worked with.
Spaces are very limited!
Yellow dog membership includes:
2 x Sunday Enrichment Training Sessions
1 x Yellow Dog Social Walk
Online Support Group
Recall means freedom.
🐾 Recall Boost Workshop🐾
A good recall means more freedom and adventures for your dog as you know you can keep them safe. It’s an essential skill to have if you want your dog to enjoy off lead walks.
If you have a dog that gets distracted by smells, ignores your calls or would rather be running down the beach at the first sight of a dog then this could be for you. Even if your dog has a good recall but you’d like ways to proof this or make it quicker this workshop will definitely help!
Two part workshop.
Thursday 15th and 22nd August.
6pm.
Open to all ages of dogs from puppies to adults. Due to the nature of the workshop dogs will need to be social. 😊
Harri and muzzle training
Harri initially came to me for some behavioural help. He struggled with reactivity, touch sensitivity, reluctance to get in the car and some other issues. Pain was a big factor in this so he’s now being seen by a specialist alongside his training. The next step for Harri was getting him comfortable in a muzzle which can be difficult as he has a lot of sensitivities with being touched. Here’s how we started to introduce it…
Simba’s trip out!
Some of you may remember my previous post about Simba at Alpet Pondies Rescue. ❤️
He’s a long term resident and quite a character. The team love him and one of the volunteers Jenny takes him to her home a day a week to play. Simba has also come to use the training barn so he can run and train in a secure space without a muzzle.
Tony and I decided to visit Simba to take him to train in busier places. He’s a sweet dog but can be a bit of a bulldozer, has occasional leash frustration and can be nervous of men he doesn’t know. However, Simba has wonderful support so this should be easily overcome.
Here’s our walk and training session today which was mainly focused on being relaxed and neutral around people and dogs. Lots of calm watching and cuddles for little Simba!
You can sponsor Simba at Alpet Poundies website 🐾
Every dog has different needs and every family has different goals for their dog. For some having a competitive sports dog and competing at weekends is the goal whereas a loved companion that can just go for walks and enjoy a cuddle on the sofa is just as valid ❤️
Tilly
Tilly came to my trick classes a while ago. We taught lots of fun and impressive tricks to her and she thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills.
Some were flashy party tricks but a few were dual purpose. The chin target being one of these!
Chin is great for cooperative care as you can see here. Her human Hayley is using this to practice putting in eye drops. This is a much kinder method than having to forcefully administer medication.
It does take practice but Tilly has pretty much got it nailed! ☺️
Thank you Hayley for sharing.
Meg at Hoopers
This was Meg’s first Hoopers session. Up until recently she had been an agility dog but unfortunately due to cancer she had to have her leg amputated.
Being a drivey dog she didn’t want to just stay on the couch so her human looked for alternatives to keep her active and happy. Last night she joined her first hoopers class instead which is lower impact and no jumping.
She’s still adapting to life on 3 paws but is looking confident. However, we are being mindful so Meg only does small bursts of training with regular rests between goes.
Her human is also ensuring she gets lots of supplements and other support for her recovery and it shows. Meg is looking great and there is certainly no slowing her down 😁
Group Walk
Just a snippet of our group walk today in the sunshine ☀️
Puppy recalls!
Recall - one of the most important skills for your young puppy!
Therefore, I really want to ensure your pup has a super speedy recall with tonnes of enthusiasm. Rather than being the dog that sniffs around and eventually waddles back in their own time.
This is why in puppy class for the first few weeks I train wait and recall completely separate. Instead, when we do recalls we do them restrained just like in this video to build drive.
Waits on the other hand are a very calm stationary behaviour which is the complete opposite end of the scale to the fun explosive recall!
Therefore teaching these together at the very start is sometimes conflicting and hard for the puppies. You often end up with either an unstable wait or a slow recall.
So separating them keeps the criteria really clear. Calm and still on the wait and then the speed and enthusiasm on the recall when we piece them together later on.
Just look at the speed on these pups 🚀
We will soon start adding more distractions and add in the wait shortly!
